In honor of Eid al Fitr this year, we wanted to spotlight one of our #PrideLibrary books that focuses on a child and her family celebrating Eid.
In Amira's Picture Day, Amira is thrilled to celebrate Eid with her family (and skip school!), but then realizes she'll be missing school Picture Day. She doesn't want to miss the Eid festivities, but how will her classmates remember her if she isn't in the picture? Her family finds a compromise that allows her friends to celebrate, too. After morning prayers and an Eid party at the masjid, there are just enough treats left to bring to school for Amira's class, and it turns out she's still in time to get photographed for Picture Day in her beautiful shalwar kameez. Pakistani-American Amira's love for her family, her community, and the Eid celebration shine through the colorful illustrations and relatable text.
Amira's Picture Day presents the mixed emotions that can come up when your family's most important celebrations aren't the ones recognized on the school calendar. It also encourages sharing our holidays and celebrating our differences in a way that would naturally lend itself to classroom follow-up (it would be a great fit for an "About Me" lesson). As a reader, what I personally found most moving was Amira's journey from worrying about fitting in at school (symbolized by the pink-and-white-striped dress that she plans to wear for picture day) to feeling like she can joyfully share her whole self, including her culture and traditions, with her teacher and classmates. The final illustration of Amira beaming in her shalwar kameez in the class picture brings together home and school. Both are places where Amira can celebrate the specialness of Eid.
The #PrideLibrary has more books celebrating Eid! Are you looking for: Another warm, family-centered book that shows the variety of different celebrations in different communities? The Night Before Eid by Aya Khalil tells the story of Zain baking ka'ak with his grandmother, who is visiting from Egypt for Eid. Baking the delicious cookies brings up memories of their family's traditions, and everyone shares stories of Egypt. The next day, Zain brings ka'ak for his class, and everyone loves his Teita's cookies. (Note: there is a ka'ak recipe included!)
A book that goes through the whole year, its holidays and traditions, from an Arab-American point of view? Arab, Arab All Year Long by Cathy Camper looks in on busy kids throughout the Arab diaspora celebrating traditions and just having fun. The lively illustrations and text are funny and diverse, pointing to the variety found in Arab-American experience.
These three playful books with fantastic illustrations can be found in the #PrideLibrary, and make great read-alouds for Eid or all year-round.
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